Nebula Public Library

The knowledge bank of ESA’s R&D programmes

PneumoPlanet - Study of an Inflatable Moon Habitat

Programme
Discovery
Programme Reference
S 2020-06-b
Contractor
Start Date
End Date
Status
Closed
Country
Austria
PneumoPlanet - Study of an Inflatable Moon Habitat
Description

The goal of this study was to develop a design for a lunar habitat in the close vicinity of one of the lunar poles and to demonstrate the feasibility of the suggested design in view of the available resources. The habitat should operate self-sufficiently in the long term by producing and recycling its own oxygen and food inside large greenhouses and almost exclusively by using solar irradiation power. The proposed  concept features a combination of:

  1. Prefabricated ultra-light inflatable structures.
  2. Covering the inflated structure with a 4 -5 meters thick layer of local loose regolith for efficient protection from extreme temperature, meteorites and cosmic radiation.
  3. The use of mirrors that move towards the sun and bring visible sunlight into the greenhouses.
Executive summary